my first review

he branded her "alison krauss, soul of the south". he is legend. he is icon. he is mr. robert plant. a concert that uniquely defines the word. i was surprisingly introduced to a gentleman. plant was overfilled with manners and compliments for both krauss and audience. i found his voice more trained than i had imagined, his boots more brilliant than mine. i thought the vocals would be more contrasting, but in the end, it was more complimentary. the fiddles dueled and the harmonies were made more perfect than any eharmony match. set list riddled with zeppelin favorites performed a cappello or bluegrass style. at times krauss seemed embarrassed to watch plant's rhythmic spasms, and when he sang the lyrics "watch her honey drip" i could see her blush from my seat in row r. critics and those that review use the standard cliches like "must see", "edge of your seat entertainment", "spot on", "dont miss", etc. well, i say "this one will carry you through the night like a mother carries her newborn pups. lovingly, forcefully, and intimately by the nape of your neck." translation: must see!

thank you

not sure how many millions of people read this publication, but i want to first apologize for the lack of entries. my speech writer, as well as my editor have been on hiatus planning a wedding, building a house, edifying our youth and coaching the world's beautiful game.

i have recently enjoyed my first wedding shower. given by my brother and his generous wife. hot dogs, burgers, salads, beers, laughter, friends, family, many gifts, all gifts. it was an earth shaking event. i was so humbled by both friends and family. it amazes me, i feel that the people who love me are so gifted at overlooking/forgetting my flaws.

thank you

you can check out pics at www.sparksflymom.blogspot.com

my condition

last sunday i heard a sermon that spoke of our condition. in case you are unaware of our condition, let me shed some light. we are broken, selfish, powerless, blind, vain, hurtful, arrogant, ignorant, disobedient and ____________ (you fill in the blank). However, we are called to do great things. the teaching was about the gigantic gap between our condition and our calling. How am i supposed to do the work god has called me to do, when i am chained to so much sin.

i am not the most biblically literate, nor steeped in theology, but i think at one point in the bible jesus says that we will do even greater things than he does. is this true? like my bank account, i feel like i have insufficient funds. the gap between my condition and my calling is immense.

i must focus on the small. concentrate on redemption. pray for an everyday renewal of gods grace and intervention. and hope my neighbor forgives me endlessly.

when i think about what i am called to do it sort of blows my hair back.

quite possibly the first thing i have ever planned

here is the wife to be and the spot where i wooed her, and i do mean woo. after she agreed, i then yelled woowhee.

well i have been engaged now for four days. bought one book on planning a wedding in six months and one book on having an elegant wedding under 5000 dollars, made the guest list, found an officiant, shed-yuled engagement photos, decided on time of year, time of day and named my first seven offspring. i thought all this was supposed to be stressful, miserable and take forever. i thought i was going to hurt everyones feelings, lose friends, lose my job, second guess myself, threaten to elope and etc. have your guys been lying to me or does this just come easy to me?

im fryin' big fish

when a man hits 30 hes got to start thinking about the welfare of his favorite pair of pants. dont let the birthday spankings get out of hand.
happy birthday mike, happy birthday. i love you. this glass of nog is raised to you, your wife (my beautiful sister) and the little stav.

no need to scratch, this thing is oozing smell

i have not thought much about this post but i wanted to share a strange phenomena. my left hand smells like maple syrup. yes,...no kidding...let it sink in...maple syyyyruup. thankfully it is not sticky, that would be bad. just pure syrup. who knew? i noticed it about a week ago, then for a strange sort of confirmation, my student said to me, "mr. sparks, you smell like syrup". my response, "yes, yes i do". let me assure you, i have not been to any new age therapy sessions where syrup is involved, nor have i treated my dry calloused hands with a little aunt jamima love. hell, i havent even been to waffle house in a year. on a serious note, does anyone know if this is related to any medical conditions. all i can think of is some strange eating disorder, or perhaps,through my left hand, my body is finally expelling all those dreamy waffle house visits. anyways, come take a whiff, its like im carrying around a drippy syrup soaked pancake and its heaven.

if you are wondering?

traveling to chicago tomorrow. Beckham in the forcast. Grandma and good Scottish friend putting me up. look for photos in the future.

king of my single wide trailer

most of you think that i am a teacher by trade. i do get paid to teach, but this year it seems i did not receive the correct job description. it should have read...

show up at 715 unlock single wide trailer and get familiar with a pungent and untraceable odor
drink one nalgene bottle of black coffee (better hurry it gets cold by 743)
750 listen to parapro's golden corral experience
800 begin teaching social skills to those who skillfully say fu to social norms
819 if lucky, receive first cursing of the blessed morn
820 if lucky, remain calm, clear headed and positive ( chant to self, i can make a difference )
823 make mental note, perhaps a lesson on mercy, forgiveness... sanctification?
830 intro to lesson complete, coax "sons of liberty" into working for "the man" (that's me)
937 social skills class is complete. dismiss and escort 3 of your students to next class (dont let them cuss any other teachers, we pay you to listen to that)
944 biology... the study of life... convince children that yes we are alive, and yes, its worth living
950 continue brainstorming grand reason for improving their lives
952 remember, dont make those glorious reason sound cheesy, make them applicable and personal hint: if you catch yourself sounding like mr. rogers prepare your virgin ears for a colorful medley of slang and fu's
1000 set cruise control to "i think this is working"
1005 dont get confortable little johnny's staring at his own phlegm through a compound microscope
1102 pray someone made coffee in the lounge
1113 escort posse back to trailer, sprint to lounge
1120 us history
1121 for next hour discuss why it is important to learn about our history (do this step everyday)
1221 begin lesson
1225 review policy on cussing
1227 take would be cusser outside of trailer, call mother, call god, call taxi?
1256 take those cussers to get lunch, make them eat with you in your trailer
110 read news and blogs, sit in almost complete silence
129 math
130 now that the children have eaten their first meal in 24 hours expect energy!
133 attempt to direct that energy towards the most exciting and relevant math possible
150 after failing miserably for the last 17 minutes remember, last years teacher never taught math for more than 8 minutes during this hr and a half
151 and remember still, no one has ever returned to teach these children
155 be thankful you only signed a one year contract
200 call agent, opt out of second year deal
300 children thank me, tell me "have a good night"

laying tile, prying up tile, moving on

bag of grey dust
water from freshly plumbed pipe
in this cauldron
my witches brew

no meek man could turn
the recipe is thick
two fisted bent stick
chalk becomes a slurry

strategize to curb stress
chalk lines and internet
mesh back headdress
still must lay first stone

puddy knife paint brush
and back scratching trowel
sling mud across sub floor
mind searching for oh shit bar

escaping crisis with each stone
grout lines narrow
chalk lines gone missing
crafting this mistake

more water more batter
stone must be cut
saw must be repaired
knees and blade whine

each ridged stroke
gives way to unique square
slowly sub floor sleeps
joists long forgotten

sunset, elephant ass, and three great hugs

for the past few days my body has seen a lot of americas road. from chat, to chicago, to lake havasu. with the help of meg and a snotty gps, we have gotten off course, but never lost. been blessed to see my gram and my sister.

just a glimpse of my classroom. the jolly students below are the artists. they also memorize poetry and quotes every other week.

standardized test, like a Midwest tornado, is fast approaching. leaving no child left behind, and no government provided storm shelter. at times i feel defeated, the wind is picking up and my students are wanting to lie down.

if anyone is reading this that is tweaking with NCLB, may i suggest green tea, and a paint brush.

taking suggestions

put yourself in my shoes. i walk into tevis's (mr.knights's) class the other day and notice that the teacher he normally works with is not there. in her place is an innocent substitute. (at rossville, innocent substitutes are preyed upon like baby chinstrap penguins attempting to get to the open waters through the sea lion filled break) as i began to speak with tevis about his lovely situation i notice a student flip a rubberband at the substitute, whizzing inches from her 50's style fro.

what would you do? be creative, no corporal punishment, and suspension is rarely punishment for these gems.

this was my solution, i am sure that yours looks similiar.

he had to write 20 of these babies.

inside my head a fly did land
and yes it spoke to me.
it said to shoot a rubberband
and then write poetry.
i do not like to obey
and i do make bad decisions.
the fly was my boss today
tomorrow i'll listen to reason.


perhaps no teacher of the year solution, but it was effective and entertaining.

the new thirty?

Now that i am thirty i reflect on much. i feel like i can finally say with complete confidence and honesty that i did not fall off the turnip truck last night. it was actually closer to 11,000 nights ago. and as i think back, so much is blurred, like these pictures. selective memories, unwanted tragedies, but love too. i was a bit worried about turning a lovely 30, but it was great.

i celebrated with meg and some friends in chucktown. i am thirty, and i am so wonderfully happy.

rossville breezeway

fall is death
breath cold, visible.
the sky like bondo.
seems very near.
wind whizgigging, punishes.
leaves dance to the dirge.
eyes sweating steel,
smile cracked.

americana folk festival

maybe i need a mouse

today is no ordinary saturday. a few hours ago i experienced a subculture that few realize exist. i most certainly had no knowledge of these courageous, imaginitive, over smiling and apparently unbusied people. these are the people that i found during a morning visit to the local mall. i enter the mall and it is as if i just stepped through the back of cs lewis' giant wardrobe. no, there was no snow. however, animals were bounding to and fro. a hint of urine in the air and pet dander underfoot. a quick breath on the lenses of my glasses, cause i must get a cleaner look. this cant be true. but yes, yessiree! we have got ourselves a costume contest. and the contestants...apparently any animal that you have been fortunate enough to domesticate and convince to don some rediculous apparel. i saw painted ponies, chewbacca chows, and the most heart warming labs dressed like the wicked witch of the west. and the owners, proud does not do justice to the emotion that radiated from these smiles. for the first time i realized the cause of that giant void in my life. and it hit my like a flying squirrel. of course there is a lack of purpose, a discontent, i do not own a a giant field mouse, nor the costume to dress him up so that he will look like bugs bunny.

a strange kinda thanks

a couple of weeks ago my wonderful car expressed the desire for a new engine. it did this at the expense of both convenience and my finances. and in the end, it communicated very clearly that it would not go on unless its demands were met. so being the caring owner and darn good friend, i paid the lovely people at saturn $2,700 dollars to install a brand new engine.

and she thanked me.

a week later i face planted her into a pick-up truck. i do not think this was appreciated. no one was hurt and the man i hit seemed to take it well. his only words, which he repeated for about 5 minutes, was "man, you really screwed yourself. i mean, man you have really screwed yourself" i politely thanked the man for his brilliant observation and explained how sorry i was that i bent his bumper. now my saturn sits in front of the house unable to provide transport.

but let me tell you something. i have not been inconvenient in the least. i am now like one of those friends that needs to borrow the truck so that i can move. but baby i am moving everyday and i need your help cause i got two fold out couches and a china cabinet that does not come apart.

good friends. good family. everyone has given generously. today my brother drove to my house so that i could have a car today. my good friend kelly has driven me to the airport in nashville 2 hours away and then picked me up a week later in nashville at 11 pm.

i have not been inconvenienced my friends have. friday a co-worker picked me up and drove my home. and i finally got the chance to get to know her. beautiful.

hopefully i will repair my car soon. but i woke this morning saying something like this, "thank you god for great friends, great family, new relationships, and for my wrecked car."

waiting to see Your reflection in the mud

finally, i sit, i write. it has been quite some time since my last post and the world, my life, has seen change that has made it difficult to put to words. I have sat down to this mighty box of wires countless times. I have written drafts that never made it public and i have also sat and wept unable to do what i teach my eighth graders to do, construct a simple sentence with complete subject and complete predicate. and now as i attempt to pull my poor grammer skills together, i ask in advance for your forgiveness for the many errors in these words that i string together.

today riding to school i saw an uncomfortable looking man that appeared to have just robbed the salvation army by putting on every single item of clothing in the store. to say that he was overdressed for the 70 degree morning would be an understatement that i dare not qualify. he was doubled over staring into a mud puddle and that sight gave me my best understanding of the last 5-7 months. clear as mud?

my nephew will died last tuesday. lived for 4 months. fought for 4 months. blessed many for life. died giving.

born with more physical compications than most endure in a lifetime. blessed with parents that love like christ. prayer did not bring healing, but the kingdom came.

i was always positive. and i prayed. and i thought i knew gods will. i pictured will on the tip of mikes long board, riding a wave in costa rica years down the road. i believed gods plan for will was to triumph over all his hardship reveal christ power and mercy for years to come. will died last tuesday and i have never felt so sad. never felt so foolish. to think i knew gods will. to think god allowed me to see his plan. how foolish. man i had faith.

now i sit and i feel, i sit and i see, pain. pain. so much. no answer, and yet that is what i have searched for. and i finally realize that i do not want an answer. if god was to give me an answer for this tragedy it would minimize all. will's life and death can not, must not, be minimized to some earthly answer. he was and is so much larger than my petty, self reassuring answer. will is gods radical love. painful and mystirious. merciful and just. but never understood by me.

my sister and my brother have lost a boy not bound for greatness, but one who found and lived to be great. not one who searched for gods will, but lived gods will. he was gods will. not one who searched for gods love, but fully expereinced gods love from the womb, thru death. not one who searched for a loving community but lived within a loving community since conception. will lived a hard physical life, but never once searched for love. that boy had so many loving him. i met him only twice. i met him only twice, but twice i saw an imperfect heart, an imperfect lip, and a perfect gift. perfect. beautiful, lip like mine, but a heart so much greater. all he did was give, all he did was fight. not just for his life, but for his parents, for his sister, for all those who were praying. will wanted to live, who would not want to live with the parents he had and the sister he saved.

i try to make this something good. to put a postive twist to this. but as best i write, (which is not very good) as best i think, it all seems so shitty. god says knock and he will answer. well stacy and mike pounded. god said ask, well we all begged. god said seek and i am pretty sure we all searched. i do not understand. but i believe. i love. but shit, all that it is, brings the deepest sadness, the darkest and longest night.

may the sun please rise.




thy kingdom come, quickly.

His Will

i love my family.
i am truely blessed.
i pray for my friends to experience all that my family has experienced of late,
God help me realize the beauty of it all.